Important Information from the Westfield Board of Health

By LAWRENCE D. BUDNICK, MD PRESIDENT, WESTFIELD BOARD OF HEALTH

September 18, 2013 at 9:46 PM

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The Westfield Board of Health met on September 9.

The seasonal influenza vaccination program has begun. The next flu vaccination session in Westfield will be on Wednesday September 25, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Residents can find detailed vaccination program information and additional sessions on the Westfield Regional Health Department website http://www.westfieldnj.gov/health. There is a $15 cash fee for each participant who does not have Medicare.

In New Jersey, people must be at least 19 years old to purchase cigarettes. The Health Department began its Tobacco Age of Sale Enforcement Program again, even though it is no longer funded by the State, to ensure that retail establishments do not sell cigarettes to underage teens. Five stores were tested since they had illegally sold cigarettes in the past, but now all the stores were in compliance.

The “Be Hard Headed” helmet safety campaign to prevent head injuries continues and received additional helmets from Children’s Specialized Hospital for free distribution. For more information, please contact Laura Scanlon, MS, RN, the Public Health Nursing Supervisor, at 908-789-4070, extension 4074 or lscanlon@westfieldnj.gov.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, increased over four-fold in Union County last year. The Health Department began its free adult immunization program for persons without insurance. It will target pertussis with Tdap vaccine, as well as offer meningitis, pneumonia and shingles vaccines. The free childhood immunization program continues. For more information, please contact Ms. Scanlon.

The Westfield Regional Health Department will sponsor the following programs for adults.

With Overlook Medical Center, we will offer cholesterol screening on Thursday, September 19, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the Municipal Building, and there is a $10.00 charge. For more information and to register, please call the Overlook Community Health Department at 1-800-247-9580.

Women without health insurance can participate in the free Komen Screening Mammography Program on Saturday, October 5, from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Breast Center at Overlook. For more information and to register, please call the Breast Center at 1-908-522-3534.

Finally, a free smoking cessation program sponsored with Barnabas Healthcare is open to all. It will be held Monday, October 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building and registration is not required.

Information about all of the Health Department’s activities is available on its website http://www.westfieldnj.gov/health. The complete minutes of the September 9 meeting will be posted after review and approval at our October 7 meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Westfield Municipal Building.

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